Last minute plans

I was just relaxing in my room for the night and suddenly I decided to change and go visit Little India. This was nowhere in my plans for today but I really wanted to go and I figured it would be cool to see it at night and then visit another time during the day. Plus, I doubt I would do anything productive on a Sunday night, so might as well.

I changed, got my camera ready and headed out the door. I had to remind myself that I would need to return back before midnight because the MRT does not run afterwards. Once I jumped onto the MRT, I sat back and relaxed because the distance where I am at Pioneer Station to the Little India Station is a lengthy trip, I would say 30-45 minutes by MRT.

I actually ate before leaving and realized that was not a good idea because I could have ate Indian Food while in Little India…I’ll make that a note to myself.

I got off at the Little India Station and the first thing I see to my left are little booths on the side of the room selling fruits, vegetables, flower arrangements and little handmade pots. The sidewalk to pass by those booths was very narrow and there were many people there at this hour, around 7 pm.

When that road ended, I got to the main part of Little India where all the restaurants are and the many, many stores available to you. I walked into a couple of stores to get a feel for it and they were all so different, but they were all same and compact. I’d assume there are more people walking around during the day but one thing I noticed is that there really are not any sidewalks in this part of Singapore. For the roads that come off of the main road, I had to walk on the actual road and watch for cars coming. Something unusual because I had previously mentioned that I always saw sidewalks here in Singapore.

After walking around and getting out of the shopping scene, I came across a temple. It is called the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and it was so beautiful from the outside. I say from the outside because I came at the exact moment they were closing. I had already taken off my sandals and placed them to the side, walked up to the door and only to be greeted by a nice man who smiled at me and said “Sorry, we’re closed but we’ll be opening up at 5 am tomorrow”. So, I will definitely come visit again, but probably not at 5 am.

I feel really lucky to have visited Singapore as my first country. It isn’t exactly the type of “backpacking” country because it is so modern, but for me I think it was a good choice. Not only is it a nice place for me to travel by myself for the first time, but it is also very multicultural and I can explore many different things while being here. I have already visited Chinatown and I have definitely experienced some Chinese culture since the majority of the population is Chinese here. Now, I have visited Little India and experienced some Indian culture. Even the smallest things, like how they greet each other, the clothes that they wear…all of that means a lot to me because it is the way that they live on this side of the world.